Our people

Rupert grew up in Somerset and has had a keen interest in the county’s wildlife from a very early age, with his experience as a young ornithologist sparking a lifelong interest in our wildlife. Initially training as a science teacher, Rupert moved into management consultancy and has worked for over thirty years in helping organisations go through significant change.

An experienced trustee, Rupert has a broad experience of building engagement with diverse groups, including being a very active supporter of promoting change for the disability and neurodiversity communities, as well as working on heritage/restoration projects. Rupert is passionate about helping nature recovery and, as the leader of Ernst & Young’s sustainability business for UK Financial Services, helps banks and insurance companies deliver on their nature and biodiversity commitments. 

Tina is an Environmental Scientist with additional training in Environmental Law.  She has had a long career in environmental consulting with her most recent employment as a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.  She has extensive international experience working with the Boards of major companies.  In recent years she led work to develop environmental and social data and reporting standards as well as accompanying assurance standards.  She was involved with the finance sector in the development of Social Responsible Investment Criteria, Responsible Lending and Carbon Credit assurance.

Tina has been a board member of the Theatre Royal, Winchester and volunteered for The Woodland Trust and also The Conservation Volunteers in London.  She is a trained adviser with Citizens Advice.

She has recently fully restored her home in Exmoor National Park including the garden where she has worked to restore a river and its floodplain and a fish easement working with FWAG on the Hills to Levels project.

Steve had a 35 year financial career with PwC, ending up as senior audit partner in Leeds. He then spent 10 years as a non-executive director of two Northern listed companies and was a trustee and the treasurer of the Leeds Community Foundation charity. He retired to Somerset, the county of his birth, 5 years ago and now looks forward to discovering all 59 of the Wildlife Trust’s reserves. 

Matthew has spent his career working for local charities and cares passionately about the impact they can have on the people, places and environments they support. With a background in marketing, communications and fundraising, Matthew was, until recently, Director of Strategy and Transformation for Brunelcare, which provides housing, care and support for older people. He is now Director of Public Engagement for Devon Air Ambulance, overseeing the charity’s fundraising, marketing and retail operations. Matthew has spent time living in the glorious Mendip and Quantock Hills (but he won’t pick a favourite!) and now lives in a small village near Taunton, where he enjoys volunteering in the community.

Ed manages a grassland family farm on the edge of the Mendips. The farm produces forage to sell and is on an agroecological journey guided by regenerative practices with a focus on how the farm can proactively combat climate change by holding water and carbon in the landscape and encouraging a thriving and biodiverse habitat. The farm also hosts creative workspaces, wild camping and has a gathering space for groups of people who want to reconnect with the natural world.

Phil brings more than forty years of conservation management and people engagement expertise to the Trust, working for wildlife, landscape and heritage in different parts of the UK for Nature Conservancy Council, English Nature and finally Natural England, until his retirement in 2012 in the role of Senior Reserves Manager South West. One of his particular interests is the protection of birds of prey, and he has been a Trustee for the Hawk and Owl Trust for the last four years. He is also a Voluntary Warden for Natural England at Shapwick Heath, and chaired the Steering Group of the successful Avalon Marshes Landscape Partnership HLF Project.

Stuart is a partner and board member at a Bristol headquartered national law firm. Originally from Northern Ireland, where he enjoyed a very wildlife-friendly upbringing, he has now lived in Bristol for more than 20 years. Stuart is passionate about habitat regeneration and species biodiversity, and enjoys making his garden and allotment as nature-friendly as possible. 

Growing up on a Somerset organic dairy farm, after university Holly worked for Somerset Wildlife Trust and then for the National Trust. She currently lives and works on Exmoor, running a farm based on an agro-ecological model, learning from nature to create a farming system that has a positive impact for biodiversity and the local community.

Holly also creates seasonal food events and educational opportunities for nursery children to fellow farmers.

Richard is Head of Commercial Sustainability and Policy in the UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) where he leads strategy development, engages with stakeholders and works across all government departments to deliver sustainability & policy oversight. He has a long career of developing and delivering sustainability policies in the commercial sector with previous employment including John Lewis. Richard grew up in Somerset and has previous experience of being a charity trustee.

Dan is currently Head of Governance, Risk and Control at Bupa, and a member of the Senior Leadership Team within its Dental Care business. Since gaining a PhD in environmental risk management, Dan has a long record of providing risk-focused solutions in a variety of sectors including engineering, financial services, and healthcare. Dan grew up in the Shropshire countryside, has lived in the South West for 15 years, and enjoys birding and hiking in nature – especially the Mendips and Somerset Levels and Moors.

Mark has been involved with Somerset Wildlife Trust since 2010, when he joined the Trust as Brue Valley Development Officer working on the Somerset Levels. He has since moved into an academic role at the University of the West of England where he teaches, researches and attempts to practise conservation biology. Mark is involved in developing novel conservation monitoring techniques and is also assisting in the creation of a new protected area in Madagascar’s central highlands. He has previously been involved in a number of studies to understand the impact of changing environmental conditions and economic drivers on Somerset’s wildlife-rich habitats.

Georgia Dent

Georgia joined us from The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country, where she was CEO for the past 4 years. She was also Chair of the Birmingham and Black Country Local Nature Partnership and Chair of the Birmingham and Black Country Nature Improvement Area partnership of 50 organisations.

Georgia has 10 years’ experience of leading charities and, prior moving into the Wildlife Trust movement, was Managing Director of Northfield Ecocentre in Birmingham – a community-based charity focused on finding practical solutions to climate change – which has since been rebranded as ecobirmingham. She began her career working as a fundraiser and has also been a campaigner at Oxfam.

Georgia grew up in Somerset and is passionate about ensuring that Somerset continues to support a thriving, strong countryside and towns that deliver multiple benefits for both Somerset’s people and wildlife.

Adam Murray

Adam started his conservation career coaching and training local staff around the world to run successful behaviour change campaigns. These campaigns effectively tackled the underlying causes of species and habitat loss by changing behaviours and alternative management practises. Experience in putting people at the heart of conservation, turning strategy into practical delivery programmes and dynamic campaigns served Adam well when he then joined the RSPB. Initially working in public affairs and communications, Adam then led the UK wide community team embracing community organising to build community power and drive change for people and nature. He now directs the Fundraising, Communications and Engagement teams at Somerset Wildlife Trust.  

Paul Smith

Paul brings 20 years’ operational leadership experience across Research, Publishing, Financial Services and tech start-ups. Paul has first-hand experience of helping organisations grow, develop and change, with particular focus on business operations and the development of commercial opportunities.

After a first degree and PhD in Chemistry, he began his career in the chemical industry specialising in fluorescent colourants before changing tack and moving to Which? (the Consumers’ Association). Starting as a Scientific Adviser before progressing to Head of Research, MD of Which? India and CEo of Which? Financial Services. Paul contributed to the significant growth of the organisation through the expansion of existing, and the launch of new services; including the launch of financial guidance and advice services, online first publishing platforms, quality certification schemes and the launch of a not-for-profit consumer organisation in India. Driving up charitable funds through these activities whilst ensuring commercial goals were aligned with the charity’s aims and mission.

More recently Paul has been helping a Financial Technology Start-up with growth strategy, operational expansion and acquisitions.

Paul has a passion for the natural environment and has been a lifelong keen birdwatcher, spending most weekends out and about enjoying our wilder spaces.

James Grischeff

James' journey in support of nature recovery started in Australia where he grew up experiencing the excitement, freedom and tranquillity of the bushlands and coast which he then studied at the University of Queensland focussing on soils and water catchments. Having moved to England in 2000 James started working with farmers negotiating Countryside Stewardship agreements in Devon, Dorset and Somerset through the Rural Development Service that merged into Natural England in 2005.  For the last seven years or so with Natural England he developed a farming and conservation strategy, was seconded to Defra to help create new environment schemes, worked with the lottery to develop the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and finally supported the national delivery of the England wide Nature Recovery Network. 

Becky Fisher
 

Becky has been working in education and engagement for over 12 years, starting her career teaching London children about wildlife from a boat on the Grand Union Canal before moving on to work for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust as a Community Wildlife Officer, delivering community engagement on an urban nature reserve. She grew up in Cornwall, where she fell in love with wildlife through gardening with her grandparents.

She joins Somerset Wildlife Trust from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, where she was instrumental in creating and championing the Team Wilder ethos- a method of engagement delivery that draws on the science of behaviour change, community organising and movement building. She has a Masters in Behaviour Change from the University of Derby, and she brings her skills and knowledge in psychology and impact measurement to the role of Head of Engagement. Becky enjoys reading and exploring the coast with her family.   

Kate Matravers-Cox

Rebecca Walford

With extensive experience in a wide range of marketing disciplines, Rebecca brings a wealth of strategic fundraising expertise to the Somerset Wildlife Trust. She studied marketing at the University of the West of England and began her career with the Trust in 2018 after relocating to Somerset—a place she deeply loves.

Rebecca leads a dynamic team of nine dedicated fundraisers. Together, they are responsible for generating crucial income to support the Trust’s strategic initiatives. Her role involves crafting comprehensive fundraising campaigns and strategically managing income generation across various streams. Rebecca's passion for sustaining Somerset's diverse habitats is evident, with a particular fondness for woodlands and the rugged coast, where she particularly enjoys a good rockpool. She is fascinated by some of Somerset’s more weird and wonderful species like hairy snails!

Rebecca’s strategic approach and dedication make her a key asset to the Trust, ensuring the continued support and preservation of Somerset’s natural environment.

Sophie Laurie

Sophie has been working for the Trust for just over two years, joining from a 35-year career in the academic sector, most recently as Associate Director for Innovation and Interdisciplinary programmes in the Natural Environment Research Council.

In this new role for the Trust, Sophie will be driving forward our ambition to be a science and evidence-led organisation, taking a strategic approach to partnership with research intensive organisations, ensuring action for nature is built on the best data and information. With a PhD in environmental science Sophie has a keen interest in all things nature-related and manages her own 5 acre plot of land for biodiversity, planting several hundred metres of hedgerow, and two orchards of traditional cider apple varieties.

Kirby Everett

With more than 20 years experience in the marketing communications arena Kirby brought a breadth of highly strategic communications expertise to the Trust from a more commercial background. She spent much of her earlier career working both in-house and agency side for a range of blue chip software, technology, online and video games businesses, including Electronic Arts and Google.  Kirby is responsible for driving the delivery of the Trust’s integrated marcomms strategy, to include responsibility for all digital and social channels, content marketing, print, branding & design, press & promotion.  She considers herself a frustrated designer and thinks words are the best weapons in inspiring change for the environment. She also has a passion for raptors of any kind.

Simon Clarke

Simon joined the Trust from Natural England, where he was responsible for managing six of their National Nature Reserves in Somerset, including those on the Somerset Levels. With this invaluable experience, his role at the Trust is, with the support of its science and data resources, to pioneer the development and delivery of the Trust's Nature Recovery Network strategy - the aim of which is drive county-scale biodiversity net gain by enhancing and connecting species-rich habitats within which wildlife can thrive, that people can connect to, and that restore a healthy and vibrant natural environment capable of adapting to a changing climate. If Simon isn’t managing land for wildlife, he’s running through it.  A keen runner, Simon can be found running with his club as the sun rises and is also involved in setting up a community woodland project in his village.

Rachael Fickweiler

Having begun her career in veterinary medicine, Rachael has been working in conservation for around 20 years after undertaking an MSc in Ecology at Aberdeen university. She has worked across the UK in national, regional and local conservation roles covering a range of priority habitats and species that are of increasing conservation concern; from heathland management in Yorkshire to water vole recovery projects across England. As Head of Nature Reserves and Land Management for the Trust, Rachael recognises that there are great challenges ahead if we are to make space for nature in our changing world and enable its recovery across the county both on nature reserves and in the wider landscape. Both in and outside of work, Rachael takes every opportunity to enjoy and encourage the wildlife around us all, including in her own (wild) garden and allotment.

Helun Jones

Helun most recently had 5 years operational management responsibility of a first-class, small animal hospital in the South-West providing an extensive range of services & 24-hour emergency service to clients. 

She managed an Education Trust of schools and was a Quality, Training & HR Manager for a National training company delivering NVQ’s and Apprenticeships and has also worked on several national contracts supporting people with disabilities and hard to reach groups into work as a Quality & Training Manager for the National Careers Service and Remploy. 

Her skill set includes HR management, Trainer, Project Manager- Prince 2, Health & Safety Management, IT and Facilities management, strategy development & business management.  Helun enjoys the outdoors walking her two cockapoos on the Quantocks. She is also a keen musician playing keyboard, guitar and singing in a choir.